Jason Reeves, 32, was charged early Friday morning in the death of his 67-year-old mother.
The NYPD says officers were conducting a wellness check at the victim's apartment on Wednesday afternoon after she failed to show up to work.
Sources tell Eyewitness News she was discovered inside a bedroom closet and had likely been there for several days.
Her body had been stabbed several times and burned.
Reeves, who was inside the apartment at the time, was taken into custody for questioning and later arrested.
"I didn't know anything was wrong. I just thought a dog had gone to the bathroom, but it was a funny smell," neighbor Arnold Austin said.
The victim is a cafeteria worker at IS-394, located a few blocks from the murder scene.
"That's shocking to know that that happened, and that she worked here and the kids knew her, that's a lot," IS-394 parent Nyisha Ragsdale said.
The identity of the victim has not yet been released.